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3 decorating truths in any home

Hello, friends! A big welcome if you are coming from In My Own Style! I am joining some fabulous bloggers this week for “how to decorate” series that Beth is hosting. I still kind of laugh at myself joining things like this because I have no professional qualifications, but I do like to make things look pretty. I wrote a series a few years ago called “putting a room together” which describes my thought process when decorating.

Honestly though? We recently built a new home and I have felt a bit paralyzed. Our previous homes have been dated and pretty darn ugly when we moved in and it right off the bat it was obvious to me what needed to be done. I’ve always worked well with making the best of a not so pretty situation. Now, I’m finding myself beginning with all new AND pretty in a situation we created with our building choices. The goal for me now is to personalize it and add warmth and character and I’m reminding myself of a few basics that I will share with you today:

.First up, was choosing furniture that wasn’t crazy expensive, but still classic, neutral, comfortable, and family friendly. We went with this sofa from Ashley because it met all of the criteria for me, and brings me to my first tip:

1. On expensive pieces go timeless, classic and neutral. Then, play with colors and patterns and trends in the pieces that are easier to replace like pillows, lamps, and accessories.

A leather nailhead chair that reclines is pretty classic + comfortable + maybe a bit boring. So have fun with the lamp and the shade next to it.

Since it seems all of our money these days is going outside towards sprinkler heads and bushes and trees, I wanted to see how far I could get decorating our family room built-ins with what we had – which bring me to #2:

2. Inexpensive elements like books, a collection, a glass jar of game pieces, photos of ancestors, a painted alphabet letter, children’s artwork, a vintage suitcase, or a framed quote or letter can go a long way in decorating and personalizing a space. Display things that you already have and love and have meaning to you and your family, but don’t feel like you have to display EVERYTHING.

And third:

3.I think you have to live in a space for a while to understand how you want to decorate it. It was hard for me to make decorating plans for our home without being in it. I think you need to see how traffic flows, where people tend to gather, how the light comes in at different times of the day, what purpose you want each room to have, and what colors will complement the feeling in the room. Now that we’re here, creative juices are finally beginning to flow. Rooms that we thought were going to serve one purpose have become something else entirely. Things that I had been saving for the boys’ room won’t really work with the placement of the windows and closet, but may be perfect in the guest bedroom. As I unpack, I find things that may be perfect in a certain spot, or find that the fabric that I had picked out for the kitchen window won’t really flow with the dining room and family room that all open up together. I love trying to figure out what this house is whispering she wants to be. :)

I definitely agree that you have to live somewhere for awhile before decorating. I made some mistakes when we first bought our house because I felt like I "should" decorate right away....live and learn!-Shelley

(FYI - No pop ups here! I would bet this is coming from internet junk and NOT this blog.) Melissa, I love this post. And what is so funny, is that even after you know what you want, in years to come, you'll change your mind. And that's perfectly OK. Your nailhead chair is beautiful, what is the maker? Does it recline?